The New World
by Sincerly Me
Summary: Wu travels to a new territory inhabited by the Naman. An inquisitive officer named Gan Ning explores and discovers more than he hoped for in this new world. M for adult content.
1. Prologue

_**FYI THIS STORY HAS BEEN REWRITTEN...PLEASE REREAD IF YOU HAVE ALREADY READ BEFORE...**_

disclaimer - I do not own any of the dynasty warriors characters in this story...

**I have kind of a random pairing for this** **story and I think it is going to be really good one so plz incourage me to continue it with reviews. thank you**

* * *

The New World

It had been a near victory for Wu. The two kingdoms of Wei and Shu had not been successful in any battles as of late, but Wu was still going strong. The leader of the Wu army, Sun Jian, was the father of the Sun Family. He had died in a previous battle. It was then that his oldest son, Sun Ce, took to the battlefield to avenge his father's death. Months later Sun Ce suddenly began to grow ill, and he gradually died from his illness. This left his father's second son and younger brother, Sun Quan, in charge of Wu thus forth.

The strategist of Wu was Lu Meng. He often spent his days plotting and improving Wu's tactics. He was a quiet man when it came to socializing, but on the battle field they say his voice could be heard for miles; commanding his troops and supporting the officers with his well thought out tactics.

Assuming their victories wouldn't last forever if they didn't raise morale or plan accordingly for a surprise attack, Lu Meng concentrated on what he thought was best for Wu. Glancing at a nearby map he noticed the kingdom of Shu's land off to the west. If Wu could somehow gain control of that land, they would decree all of the southern land leaving only the north left to conquer Wei. He knew this plan would take some time, but if he could use Liu Bei to his advantage to unite the southern land, Cao Cao would be defeated. Using his prior knowledge of the past he recalled a time when Liu Bei fancied the youngest of the Sun Family, the daughter, Sun Shang Xiang. He conveniently formed the idea to arrange a marriage between the leader of Shu and Sun Shang Xiang. This would ensure Wu would have the south, an ally, and in time the fall of Wei.

Lu Meng studied his plan thoroughly in his mind and on the map. He wanted to make sure all his loose ends were tied up before he advanced to Sun Quan with his proposal. Wu claimed one half of the southern provinces and Shu had the other, or so he thought. Scanning the map again, Lu Meng found to the south west of the Shu territory was an uncharted area. Surprised he had missed this earlier he checked it over with a similar but updated map of the land. The same spot was unclaimed there as well.

He stormed out of this tent and went to find his apprentice strategist, Lu Xun. Lu Xun had potential, and Lu Meng had no doubt that one day he would surpass him in not only intellect but also might. He could count on Lu Xun to determine this problem.

"Do you see what I see?" Lu Meng asked.

"The land appears not to have been conquered." Lu Xun replied.

"So it's not just my old eyes playing tricks on me," Lu Meng was thrilled. He had just realized the perfect strategy.

"Lu Xun! Call an officers meeting, quickly!"

With that he hurried out of the tent to prepare his presentation. Lu Xun swiftly did as he was asked and it wasn't long before the main camp was filled with every officer of Wu, waiting to hear the announcement.

"There!" Lu Meng exclaimed as he showed his fellow comrades an enlarged map of the area of land he projected for takeover.

"This land is ideal for Wu and exactly what we need in order to have the upper hand of Shu and raise our troop's morale."

The leader Sun Quan was the first to speak his abjections.

"How do we know that this land has not yet been taken by some suck as Yuan Shao or the Yellow Turbans, they are uncharted armies. What if this is just one of Shu's tricks to ambush us. Since the land is so close to theirs, why have they not already taken it for themselves?"

Lu Meng turned to his leader.

"My lord, I have taken all this into consideration and though this may sound unjust, if an uncharted army does happen to inhabit the land we will simple have to conquer it in the name of Wu."

Many officers seemed pleased by this and eager to go forth and triumph over another territory, but Sun Quan still remained uneasy about it.

"We need to have this foothold in Shu, if we plan to make them our ally and bond them with marriage, Wu must have a secure place within the kingdom in which we can retaliate in case of a rebellion or betrayal. I implore you to reconsider, my lord."

As Sun Quan looked into the face of the man who had led Wu to many victories, he knew Lu Meng could be trusted. He looked over the room to see the happy faces of many generals with this proposal. One of those officers being Gan Ning, the notorious pirate who wore bells to entice fear into his enemies who heard him coming. He longed for adventure and as Sun Quan stared at him smirking at just the thought of leaving he decided to take a chance. Remembering how his father had often made risky decisions but putting his full trust into Lu Meng, they always seemed to work out. Sun Quan arose from his seat, and everyone stood at attention.

"Prepare the boats, we leave at dawn."

Now that the strategy was in place and decided, Sun Quan had to choose the officers accompanying them on the mission. Lu Meng and Sun Quan were in a private room discussing the material and dividing the officers and the troops. When matters were settled, Sun Quan made the declaration.

"I myself will be making the journey to this unmarked land so this leaves Sun Shang Xiang in charge of the kingdom while I am gone. I also want Lu Xun, and Zhou Yu to stay behind and help protect and govern with her. As for the people coming I place Lu Meng in command of this voyage. His five officers will be as followed, Huang Gai, Taishi Ci, Zhou Tai, Ling Tong, and Gan Ning. All of you be ready to sail by day break. Arrange whatever necessary rations we may need to make it to our destination. Rest well my warriors for tomorrow is an important day."

With that Sun Quan retired to his chambers where he could rest for tomorrow. His officers and troops bowed respectfully as he exited the main camp. When he was gone the generals disbursed and returned to their quarters to pack. Everyone was looking forward to the expedition, all except Ling Tong. He couldn't stand the fact he had to live in the same kingdom with him, let alone stay on a ship with him for god knows how long. He wasn't even sure that the boat could carry the weight of his thick skull. However, for the sake of Wu and his lord Sun Quan, he would set aside his differences with Gan Ning and focus on the objective.

Back in his tent, Gan Ning had easily gathered all his provisions for the voyage. He was a former pirate, and rationing his belongings for the high seas was his specialty. He sat down and pictured being out on the open sea again. It brought a smile to his face. He happily relaxed like that for a while until the thought of a particular crew member altered his demeanor. He was no fool. He knew Ling Tong hated him. He couldn't blame him really, for what he took from Ling Tong when he was only 15. How could anyone forget, let alone forgive, the man who killed their father.


	2. Chapter 1

Morning came quicker for the warriors than it ever had before. With the officers packed and ready for departure they all lined up and awaited their leader, Sun Quan. Gan Ning was positioned behind Ling Tong in formation. He decided to ease the tension between the two of them by starting a conversation, but Ling Tong must have had the same idea, for it was him that spoke first.

"So, what do you think the land will look like? Have you traveled around that area on your ship before?"

Surprised Gan Ning looked at him momentarily before replying. "Yeah, it's okay if you like scenery and that kind of thing."

"Do you think we will run into any trouble?"

Gan Ning smirked. "That depends, what do you consider trouble?"

"I mean like Yuan Shao's army or the Yellow Turbans."

"I don't expect anyone to be there at all. The land is probably deserted. I don't even see why I have to come on this journey in the first place. It's all just a waste of my time."

With that Ling Tong shot him a look, but before he could say anything a call was heard announcing the arrival of the lord Sun Quan. Everyone stood at attention as the head of the Sun Family boarded with his white steed boarded the ship. With everyone now successfully aboard the ship set sail for the New World. No one knew what to expect but they were all very anxious to arrive.

The voyage lasted about a month until the day a solider shouted "land!" The excitement grew as the boat docked and they began heading to the shore. Lu Meng was the first to set foot on the New World.

"Perfect."

Everyone gazed upon it as far as they could see. It was covered with open fields of tall grass and trees. It was so different from their city like provinces they have back home. Ling Tong turned to Gan Ning.

"You were right. This land does have beautiful scenery."

Gan Ning nodded. He was more surprised than anyone of the land. He expected it to be beautiful but not like this. He had only assumed it would be like the others he had traveled to. This one was completely different. He had never seen anything like it before. It made him restless to get off the boat and explore it.

The dirt near the river was exact for setting up the camps. It was made clear by Lu Meng that the camps be made close to the boat so not to have anyone become lost or alienated. As the men settled and began to put up tents and shelters for the night, it was decided that patrolling the coast would take place tomorrow. When the camps were completed, it was night fall. All of the officers and troops gathered around the ship to hear a speech by Sun Quan. It stated that his land now officially belonged to Wu and from now on no other shall claim it. With that he placed a large flag in the ground of the New World firmly, the words Wu Territory written on it. Everyone clapped and cheered in celebration. When he finished Lu Meng approached Gan Ning.

"Gan Ning, I need you to go scout the area. Your knowledge from your pirate days shall come in useful here. I do not want any ambush attacks taking place tonight, the troops are exhausted from working all day. Do you think you will be fine on your own?"

"Yes sir." Gan Ning stated.

"Good, take note of the things you see and report back by morning. Be sure all the officers stay here to protect camp, understand?"

With a nod and a bow Gan Ning went to prepare himself. In no time he was ready and set out to explore the land. The land was so big and vast. He kept thinking of how nice it would do as a province. The soil was ideal for planting crops. Gan Ning kept pressing forward, deeper into the forest he seemed to go without any sign of inhabitance. Looking up at the sky he could see that it wasn't going to be daybreak for a few more hours.

As the time flew by with no signs of former ownership of the land he began to grow tired. This didn't stop him, however, being the free spirited man that he was he preceded on, taking in all of the lands glory. It wasn't long before he came to a river. Feeling quite thirsty and weary he bent down and cupped his hands into the water. Scooping the water into his mouth, he gulped it vigorously. Then wiping the sweat from his forehead he cooled himself down with water, splashing it on his face.

Suddenly he heard a noise behind him. He leapt to his feet, spun around and whipped out his sword. There was a loud rustle coming from a pair of bushes in front of him. He stood his ground, armed and ready. As the being stop out he lunged forward drawing his weapon but was countered back by a blocking strike.

"I thought your pirate skills were too good to let anyone sneak up on you?"

Gan Ning sneered and withdrew his sword. "So why are you following me Ling Tong?"

"I wanted to check out this land for myself, plus I don't think you can handle this mission all on your own if you let me trail you this whole time without noticing."

"So I let my guard down, I was too busy with the surroundings to notice my flank. It won't happen again."

"Your right it won't happen again, I will make sure of it. I'm coming with you."

Gan Ning was becoming inpatient. "No you're not, you need to get back to camp those were Lu Meng's orders."

"They have enough officers back at camp it won't matter if I am missing."

Gan Ning started to say something but was stopped as a beam of light pierced through the horizon as the sun began to rise.

"Well it looks like we need to head back anyway," said Gan Ning.

Both of them just looked at each other and started walking in the direction they had come. They stayed silent for most of the way. Ling Tong was still irritated with Gan Ning for being so stubborn. The sun had almost fully risen and they could see clearly where they were going now and it made retracing their steps a lot easier. Gan Ning could tell they had only barely made halfway back. At the rate they were going they wouldn't make it back until noon. They needed to pick up the pace.

Just as Gan Ning was about to command Ling Tong he froze. He may had been unaware of what was behind him while he was sightseeing but now that he was alert he knew they were being followed.

"Ling Tong take cover!" Gan Ning called to him as he hid in a nearby bush.

Ling Tong turned and looked but didn't notice anyone there.

"I think you are being paranoid, there is nothing out he-"

Just then a breath taking creature appeared before them. The creature resembled a large cat, a deep autumn color with black strips, emerged from behind the tall grass. It was unlike any other they'd seen before. The huge cat approached with caution, staring down Ling Tong and slowly crouching ready to pounce. Gan Ning scrutinized the situation unsure of what to do. He kept looking to Ling Tong expecting him to run, but he didn't. The animal was baring its fangs and claws now preparing for the attack. Gan Ning had to make a move.

Just as the cat leapt for Ling Tong, Gan Ning sprung out of the bushes. He collided with the feline causing it to barely miss Ling Tong by the graze of his arm, knocking him down. The cat quickly recovered and sprung around focusing its attention on Gan Ning now. Gan Ning with his blade held out, moved in front to defend Ling Tong. Ling Tong stood up slowly winching and grabbing his arm in pain.

"Get back to camp now!" Gan Ning ordered him.

Ling Tong stood firm.

"Go I said! You are no use here, besides you can't even fight with that wounded arm."

Ling Tong paused momentarily before realizing he was right and began headed back to camp with his hand pressed tightly on his wound to stop the blood. Gan Ning turned back to his opponent who was hesitant to make the first move this time.

"Nice kitty, you wanna play," He warned, keeping his sword raised. He was letting it know he wouldn't falter to use it if need be. The creature didn't seem to understand and began circling him snarling. As the animal crept closer, Gan Ning prepared himself to defend. Just as the huge cat was about to lunge forward, a voice cried out. "No!"

The voice was distant. Gradually footsteps could be heard coming closer toward them. Gan Ning looked in the direction of the sound, retaining his drawn sword and defense position. Swiftly from the tall grass a girl appeared. She ran between his sword and the creature holding her arms out protectively.

Surprised he stared at her. She was a young girl who looked different from him. He'd never seen someone with skin tanner than his before. She wore a shirt that came no lower than her mid-drift and seemed to be made from some kind of animal skin. Her skirt was made of the same material, and her shoes looked to be made from bark and hardened clay, mud, and stone. She also wore four bracelets, two on each arm. They seemed to be made out of feather and leather ribbon.

The girl stared back at Gan Ning, though she stood her ground and hid it well in her face, he could see the disbelief in her eyes. She had never seen a man like him either.

* * *

**THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO ARE STILL READING THIS STORY. IT HAS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I UPDATED. I DO APOLOGIZE. I HAVE REWRITTEN THE FIRST CHAPTER AND CHANGES SOME THINGS (AS YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED) NOW THAT I HAVE FOUND SOME NEW INSPIRATION TO CONTINUE THIS STORY. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE SUPPORT AND THE REVIEWS! WILL BE UPDATING SOON...**


	3. Chapter 2

He slowly lowered his dagger as he gazed into the young girls eyes. She seemed frightened. She was unarmed and was standing protectively in front of the tiger. Gan Ning was very curious about her and wondered where she came from. Cautiously he stepped towards her. She remained still, watching his every move. As he lowered his stare to sheath his sword, she bolted with the animal following behind her.

"Wait!" He called, chasing after her.

Through the forest and high grass, around the trees, and further she ran fearful of him. Quickly he followed suit. Keeping her in his sights, he could see she was heading for the water. He began sprinting faster. Into the river she dashed.

"Please stop!" he called.

Abruptly she came to a halt. As he neared the water he paused to catch his breath. She glared at him as the wind blew her hair out of her face, he noticed how beautiful she was, and different she looked from any other woman he had seen. He finally spoke first.

"I'm sorry, please don't run. I'm not gonna harm you."

She didn't respond and kept her defensive stance as did her pet beside her. He began to walk closer and extended his hand towards her.

"What is your name?"

When he got too close, the creature began to growl. This stopped him, but he continued to hold out his arm. The girl looked down at his hand and clenched her fist.

"It's ok," he said. His hand still stretched out. She looked up into his eyes. They were softer than before, genuine, and kind. She slowly released her tightened hand and reached out for his. He smiled as he held her hand briefly before gently leading her out of the river.

"My name is Gan Ning." Gesturing to himself and questioning if she could even understand him. He let her hand go when they were both on dry land.

"Who are you and what is your name?"

"Zhu Rong."

He looked at her surprised. She smiled at him recognizing his confusion.

"That is an odd name." he replied, that being the only thing he could think to say.

"So is yours…Gan Ning."

Crossing his arms he leaned up against a nearby tree. He couldn't believe he was having a conversation with this girl. Just looking at her he had so many questions, all of them racing through his mind. He decided to ask the logical one first.

"Where did you come from?"

"I came from my village."

"There is a village here."

"Yes, it is a Nanman village."

"How did you learn to speak my language?"

She sat down on the ground in front of him. "I learned from the elders."

"The elders, who are they?"

"They are the older and wiser men of our tribe. They teach every one of their knowledge so that they can pass it down to the next generation when they become elders and so forth. It is said a long time ago a Nanman ancestor man from our village was taken to live with the pale ones. It was there he learned their language, and returned to teach the other villagers how to speak their native tongue. It was from then on we have always spoken as such."

Gan Ning nodded listening to her story and learning more about the unusual girl. He was about to ask her another question when he felt something rustling in his knapsack. He turned to see her creature sniffing about and spilling out his supplies.

"Sorry my tiger must be hungry." Zhu Rong apologized.

"It must be after my meat bun."

"What's that?"

"It's food."

Grabbing the sack he reached in and pulled out the meat bun. Tossing it on the ground the tiger began to sniff it, then after licking its lips it hastily ate it. Satisfied the tiger walked back over to where Zhu Rong was sitting and curled up beside her. She began to pet the tiger until it fell asleep.

"That's a big animal; did you say it was a tiger?"

"Yes she is my tiger actually."

"So it's a girl tiger."

"Do you not have tigers in your village?"

"No," Gan Ning began skipping pebbles into the water. "I live in a province."

"What is it like?"

"It's like a village just that not what it's called. They are governed by the Kingdom of Wu."

"I'd like to see your kingdom."

"Oh you will."

She looked at him concerned.

"My lord plans to conquer this land in the name of Wu. With my help and the other officers together we will until the land."

"What about my people and my village?"

"I'm sure my lord would be open to recruiting an army of savages."

She stood up angrily. "What do you mean savages!"

He paused feeling bad.

"I didn't mean you."

"Just my tribe?" She turned to walk away. He ran and caught her arm as she was crossing the river.

"Please, I didn't mean to offend you."

"Let me go!" she ordered pulling away.

"I don't want you to go."

Just then Zhu Rong whistled and her tiger pounced on Gan Ning, knocking them both in the water. Zhu Rong managed to get free of his grasp and swam up to the surface. Gan Ning followed. She was on the other side when he called to her.

"Look I'm sorry. Savage is just a phrase my people use. Like pale one is how your villagers refer to me."

She turned to him. "These are words to describe people who are different from us. That is wrong. Just because we look and think different doesn't make us both not people. I may have said my people think this way, but I never said this was how I thought about other people who were different."

Gan Ning stood there, taken aback. He had never thought of it like that before. Maybe she was right. Just because someone is different doesn't make them bad.

A noise began roaring in the distance stopped his thoughts. He looked at Zhu Rong and her eyes grew wide in worry. The noise became louder and sounded like the ringing of gongs.

"What is that?" Gan Ning questioned.

"It means something's wrong. I need to go."

"Please don't, not yet."

She tried to get around him but he moved in front of her.

"I'm sorry I have to leave."

He held the girl in an embrace afraid he wasn't going to see her again. After staring into her pleading eyes, he reluctantly released his grip on her. She slowly began to walk toward the sound of the gongs. She took one final glance at him before running home.

Gan Ning stood there, and as he watched her disappear into the forest, he felt an emptiness he had never felt before. There was a loneliness unlike any other he was used to.

* * *

**YAY! I GOT A NEW CHAPTER UP! PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. I ENJOY THE ENCOURAGEMENT TO PUSH ME TO KEEP WRITING. I AM VERY EXCITED TO KEEP THIS STORY GOING :)**


End file.
